U.S. patent Ser. No. 13/425,463 entitled “Transmission”, in the name of Herbert P. Brinn is herein incorporated by reference for what it teaches about transmissions.
Transmissions are not new to the art. However, the present invention has many advantages not available in prior art devices. The instant device is much simpler than prior art devices. Prior art transmissions for oval track racing have been modified versions of either automotive standard shift transmissions or automotive automatic shift transmissions. Some prior art transmissions have been developed for racing in recent years but are designed with countershafts to allow reverse and the use of lower gears.
Modified automatic transmissions do not use a countershaft but are typically bulky and heavy as well as unreliable. The device of the present invention allows for the elimination of the countershaft in a manual transmission and allows for a much lighter transmission. The device of the present invention also allows for the transmission to be used in direct drive without any power being applied to the gear train which also increases performance, durability and reliability. A lighter more durable transmission allows the user to be more competitive in the oval track arena. The present invention also eliminates the need for a valve rod and system to operate the low and reverse. This is accomplished by a dual set of planetary gears that allow the user to simply select low or reverse because the two sets of planetary gears are both ready and activated by the clutch. The user simply chooses which gear and activates the clutch.